My Name is Tiberius
by Dewy eyes
Summary: Desperation leads to drastic measures. AU in which Captain John Harrison takes the Enterprise on a manhunt for one James Kirk. Loosely follows Into Darkness.
1. Prologue

-Prologue-

Ty had dreamed of a world where he could be himself, without prejudice, without expectations. Without being thrust into a position of leadership and left to fend for himself.

They woke him up 300 years too early.

His dream was shattered beyond recognition. All he had left were the shards of a family. And then they stole that, too.

They caged him. Studied him. Threatened him. Nearly destroyed him.

What was left of him, they forced to work. He designed weapons for them. He did covert work for them. He assassinated people for them. God, he _killed_ for them. It made him want to puke.

But Ty didn't have a choice. His family's lives were at stake.

He'd been working on the design of a new photonic torpedo model, balancing the surface area with the volume of explosives inside, when he'd realized how much extra room he had inside. And what shape that extra room had.

It was risky, a much bigger risk than he should be willing to take.

But if it worked, his family would finally be safe.


	2. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

The lush patio was a haven of verdant ferns and stone-colored walls. It was easy to forget there was a sterile hospital corridor just inside the doors.

Leonard hated leaving Joanna, but he could only stand the presence of his ex-wife for so long without a break. Normally Jocelyn was at least tolerable, but after three goddam weeks, with Jo hurt like this...

He buried his head in his hands. God, Jo.

_He was picking her up from school. Her big, bright smile... There was a car turning the corner, gleaming silver in the sunlight, going way too fast... _

_Her blonde ponytail was splayed gracefully on the dark pavement. Someone was screaming over and over, "Oh my God. Oh my God." Her hot pink shirt was stained scarlet. _

_He watched the car turn the corner and disappear into the afternoon. __His baby girl... And the bastard didn't even pause... _

__He held her broken body in his arms, watched his tears intermix with her crimson blood...__

_Then the sirens started. _

_He was a doctor, a goddam doctor, and he couldn't even save his own daughter... _

_They told him to–_

Leonard was suddenly aware he was being watched. He turned to see a young blonde man with piercing blue eyes.

"What're you looking at?" he snapped.

The man's gaze was compassionate, but a turbulence lay underneath. "Your daughter," he said carefully. "She's...very important to you, isn't she?"

"She means the world to me," Leonard responded huskily before leveling a suspicious glare at him. "How do you know about that?"

The man hesitated, as if making a decision, before his mouth set itself in a hard, determined line. "I know how to save her."

Leonard frowned, splitting a dubious look between the man and the door.

"Listen," the man said, "I'm not trying to poison her or contaminate her or something. I just want to help."

"Why?" he asked bluntly.

"Look at you," the man replied. "You're nothing but skin and bones. You've been here, what? Twenty days? You look like death warmed over. Your ex is blaming you, and you're beginning to blame yourself, too. This isn't how it's supposed to be. Families just shouldn't be broken like this."

"How the hell do you know all this?" he questioned sharply.

"Never mind that. Just take my help. It'a a free gift of the heart. Or are the people of this century too distrustful for simple hospitality?"

Leonard turned away, scowling at the green countryside. When he looked up again, the man was still standing there. The turbulence in his eyes had risen to the surface.

"Who the hell are you?" Leonard asked.

The man smiled wanly. "You can call me Jim. Jim Kirk."


	3. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

_One month later _

Leonard sat in the hard subway seat, watching the tunnels rush by. He'd always liked tunnels. They were solid, closed-in. They felt safe. Not at all like where he was headed.

He hated Starfleet.

Damn Jocelyn. Of course, as soon as Jo came home (into _her_ custody) she sued him for everything he had left. Which wasn't much to begin with, after the first custody trial. Apparently he had been irresponsible by letting Jo get hit by that car. And of course since she had all that money, _his_ money, her goddam lawyer was able to twist everything he said into an goddam accusation. It really made him mad.

He ended up without a house, without a car, without a penny to his name. And he still couldn't see Jo.

Hell, all he had left was the 'Fleet. Wasn't that a cheerful thought.

The subway stopped to pick up a few more people. Not many riding at one in the morning. Which was why he was completely unprepared for someone to plop down next to him and announce, "Well, if it isn't Mr. Skin-and-Bones himself."

Leonard turned, and was met with a smirking face and turbulent blue eyes. "Oh. It's you."

"What? That's all the thanks I get?" Jim Kirk said playfully.

"Yep. That's it," he replied shortly.

Jim nodded, as if he'd anticipated that, but still seemed a bit disappointed. "Hm. Somehow I expected a little more out of you, 'Bones."

"Yeah?" Leonard responded bitterly. "Well, how about this: _Thank you._ You saved Jo and got me a lawsuit." Jim's bright gaze held steady as the subway slowed again. "My damn ex thinks I tried to poison my own daughter, and promptly took everything I own in compensation, including my custody rights! And after what you did to me, you have the nerve to ask for a _thank you_?!"

Leonard's voice had risen in pitch and volume, drawing stares from several other passengers, but he didn't care. "Who the _hell_ do you think you are?! You waltz in like you're doin' me a big favor, tellin' me all this bullshit about families, and swagger on out like you owned the place! Well, I'm tellin' you, man, _you don't_."

With a disconcerting stillness, Jim simply nodded.

When the doors opened a few seconds later, he rose and, sending one last unreadable look over his shoulder, exited the subway, leaving Leonard with a hollowness he didn't understand.


	4. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

When Leonard walked into Transporter Room 3 he almost walked right back out again. He'd known he wouldn't be the only new assignment, but he didn't expect a bunch of bouncy cadets.

He took a seat on the far side of the room and placed his gray duffel in his lap.

Leonard didn't like transporters. They tore your body apart, molecule by molecule, and pieced you back together again. Didn't really understand why _anyone_ would like that. Not even all these eager kids, fresh out of the Academy.

Reassigned to a ship full of green cadets. Leonard resisted the urge to glare at the nearest one, a giggly redhead in blue – _she better not end up in my sickbay_ – and instead directed his attention to a coolly composed woman. She at least seemed to be past adolescence. Her light blonde hair was cut in an attractive bob.

Seeming to notice his gaze, she turned and introduced herself. "Carol Wallace, Weapons Specialist."

"Doctor Leonard McCoy," he replied in turn. "I'll be the new Chief Medical Officer. At least if I survive the next few minutes."

She smiled. "I was surprised there were so many fresh cadets. But I suppose the _Enterprise_ would have first pick of incoming talent." Her voice reminded him of a creek in early spring – fresh, cold, clear – but muted somehow. "I've heard a lot about Captain Harrison. I'm rather excited to be serving under him."

"Yeah?" Wallace didn't seem to be carrying any baggage. Well, except the PADD she was fiddling with nervously in her lap.

"Don't tell me you didn't do your research, doctor," she teased. The PADD turned round and round on an invisible axis before flipping over and doing the same on the other side.

"I didn't even look at his bio," he responded, half jokingly and half sheepishly. "Never had the time." Not between the drinking, and the worrying, and the hangovers, and whatever else.

"He's somewhat of an enigma," said Wallace, seeming to search for words. "He's calm in a crisis. Very good diplomat." She paused. "That's about all it really said. I suppose it will be an adventure of sorts."

"Huh." Leonard wasn't sure about that. He preferred straight truth to all this mysterious whatnot.

But before he could voice an opinion, a man entered and took his place behind the console and began barking instructions.

"First load, transfers. On deck, new engineers. Come on, move it!" The man snapped at the cadets, before turning to Leonard and Wallace with a sympathetic smile. "You two can go ahead."

Wallace stepped onto the transporter pad, hugging her PADD to her chest. Leonard followed, not without a suspicious scrutiny of the operator. He clenched his fists and hoped he wasn't as pale as he felt.

"Energizing."

The world faded into blurry shatters of sensation. For barely a fraction of a second, there was nothing. Then he found himself in a metallic black and silver room.

"Rematerialization complete." A young crewman gave them a quiet smile before turning his attention back to the instruments.

"Hello!" A woman beamed at them from beside the console. "Welcome to the _Enterprise_. I'm Ensign Lana Peal. I believe the captain is waiting to meet you in his ready room. Just follow me."

As the two trailed Peal out of the transporter room, Leonard leaned over to Wallace and whispered, "Didn't think we'd be in trouble already."

She smiled, but it was a bit forced. Another glance revealed tense movements and an anxious blue gaze. Hm.

It seemed Harrison wasn't the only enigma around here.


	5. Chapter 4

-Chapter 4-

Footsteps echoed hollowly through the white corridors: Ensign Peal's confident heels smartly clicking against the floor, Wallace's more subdued steps, and Leonard's own tread.

Peal was chattering animatedly about the various places they were passing, and Leonard put in a word now and then, but for the most part he was taking in the ship. Occasionally another officer would pass the little tour group, acknowledging them with a smile or a crisp nod, but the ship was fairly quiet on the higher decks.

They entered a turbolift.

"Bridge," Peal told the computer before turning to the two others. "So what do you think about the _Enterprise_?"

"I'm gonna have to hold off judgement till I see my Sickbay," Leonard told her.

She smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure Dr. M'Benga is keeping it in working order until you get there. What about you, Lt. Wallace?"

"It's much larger than I expected," she admitted.

"You get used to it," Peal assured her. "I was only assigned here a few weeks ago, and I'm already showing people around the ship. And I have a _horrible_ sense of direction."

Leonard somewhat doubted the validity of that statement, but he didn't get a chance to respond because the turbolift doors opened, revealing a flurry of activity.

People were sitting at consoles, delivering datapadds between the Bridge and the rest of the ship, standing at attention, discussing various issues with serious expressions on their faces. Peal deftly weaved through the chaos. Before he knew it, Leonard found himself standing in front of the captain's ready room. Peal straightened her back and rang the bell.

"Come," a reply came. Leonard took a deep breath and followed the others into the office.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. PADDs were stacked neatly on a desk. To one side a porthole displayed a myriad of stars and planets. And standing in front of him was a lean man wearing the gold command uniform.

"Captain John Harrison," the man introduced himself.

"Leonard McCoy," he said in turn, taking Harrison's proffered hand and shaking it. Leonard didn't miss the way the man's dark, calculating eyes flicked over each of the newcomers.

After everyone had been introduced and the proper pleasantries exchanged, Harrison dismissed Ensign Peal and opened up a file on one the stacked PADDs.

"I assume you've both been briefed on the situation?" he asked.

Leonard shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Hm." Harrison hummed, quizzically cocking his brow before laying the PADD to the side and steepling his fingers. "Are you aware of the terrorist attack on Starfleet Headquarters?"

Wallace nodded. Leonard kept silent. He'd heard that it happened, but not much more.

"This is the perpetrator, a man named James Kirk." Harrison turned the PADD towards them. A photo was displayed, of a man in dark clothes.

A man with turbulent blue eyes.


	6. Chapter 5

-Chapter 5-

Leonard's mind whirled. That guy...James Kirk...was a terrorist? But–

"Doctor?" Harrison said.

Leonard quickly slackened his face, hoping the shock he felt didn't show, and feigned innocence. "Yes, captain?"

The man only held his gaze a bit longer than necessary before continuing his debriefing.

"He was a commander, working in Intelligence." His eyes, his voice, were hard and dark and deep. Leonard felt Harrison's observations clinging to him with a scientist's curiosity. He felt like a specimen pinned to a card.

"We have received a payload of experimental photon torpedoes. Wallace, I need you to be prepared to fire them at all times. McCoy, I need Sickbay on standby for casualties."

"Sir?" Leonard asked, caught off guard, before biting his tongue and wishing he hadn't drawn more attention to himself. But Harrison seemed to have anticipated his question.

"One of my officers discovered a transwarp beaming device in the wreck of his shuttle," he said. "The coordinates were set for Kronos."

_A transwarp what? _Leonard wanted to ask, but the second part of Harrison's statement was even more troubling.

"Kronos?" Wallace bit her lip. "If he's sheltering with the Klingons, it could mean interstellar war. Are we going to–?"

Harrison interrupted. "We will do whatever is necessary."

Her blue eyes were wide and worried, but Leonard saw something firm up behind her expression, like she had come to a decision.

"Very well, sir," she said.

"Dismissed," Harrison nodded, studying Leonard a bit longer before dropping his gaze back to the PADDs on his desk and going back to his work.

Leonard exited the dim office half in a daze. Peal was waiting outside to lead him to his Sickbay, but he waved her off, telling her he could find it on his own. He didn't really pay much attention as she instead jabbered away to Wallace. He needed to think.

On his way out, he noticed a pair of dark eyes follow him into the turbolift. They were calculating, like Harrison's, but warmer, more organic. A Vulcan.

The Vulcan didn't avert his gaze, so Leonard gave him a nod.

Suddenly he looked away, studying his instrument panels intensely. Hm.

The turbolift doors closed on the realization that he'd left his bourbon in his apartment.


	7. Chapter 6

The doors to his Sickbay slid open. It was only a moment before a man approached him. "I'm Geoffrey M'Benga," he introduced himself. "You must be Dr. McCoy."

"Yep," he replied.

"I hope you'll be satisfied with the place," he said, gesturing around at the various faculties. "I can't give you a tour at the moment, as I have a patient to tend to, but you are free to look around, and welcome to take up command if you'd rather start right away."

"Seems you've done a fine job," Leonard replied, and he meant it. The Sickbay was spotless. Everything had a place, and everyone had a job. Nurses were organizing hyposprays and signing PADDs. Around the corner Leonard found M'Benga wrapping a patient's calf.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times," M'Benga was saying. "You've got to do _all_ your stretches before you fence!"

"Yeah, I know," the man on the biobed said sheepishly.

M'Benga shook his head before noticing the doctor standing in the doorway. "Dr. McCoy, this is Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, helmsman. Sulu, this is Doctor Leonard McCoy, our new CMO."

"Hello."

"Howdy." They shook hands.

Sulu's gaze flicked over him appraisingly – not with criticism, but simply with observation. More than Leonard could say for a lot of people, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.

"There you are," M'Benga finished wrapping. "Sorry I can't do more."

"Not a problem," Sulu responded.

The ship shuddered, and Leonard recognized it as the jump to warp.

"Looks like Bailey's taking us out," M'Benga observed.

"I'd better get to the Bridge," said Sulu. "It was nice to meet you, Dr. McCoy."

He nodded as the man made his exit.

So they were headed to Kronos, to kill or imprison a criminal who saved his daughter and killed a bunch of Starfleet personnel, possibly starting an interplanetary war in the process.

That wasn't confusing at all, now was it?


End file.
